To: UI Special Collections
To: Recent Acquisitions List

With funds from the Friends of the Libraries, the Libraries has been able to acquire a copy of an extremely rare, ephemeral pamphlet: A Short Sketch of the Life of Miss Lulu Aggie, Detailing the Manner in which She Was Tattooed. New York: New York Popular Publishing Co., [ca. 1890-1900]. 8vo, original pictorial pink wrappers bearing a woodcut portrait of Lulu Aggie, [16] pages.

A promotional pamphlet, the no doubt spurious account of Lulu Aggie's voyage with her San Francisco-based sea captain father, their shipwreck and capture by South Seas savages, and her survival despite ceremonial tattooing. She escapes to England where she "there attracted the attention of the medical fraternity, who visited me in large numbers, and I was finally induced to exhibit myself as the only lady in the world that was tattooed by savages, all others being imitators." Her account supplemented with an unrelated sentimental poem and some humorous verses, as well as sample album lines. Contemporary doodling of Miss Lulu Aggie's name in purple pencil on the front wrapper, title and final page.

Advertising for "performers" like Miss Aggie has rarely survived, and examples like this enhance and enlarge the Libraries' strong collection of popular culture materials for the period 1890-1900. The strongest collection, partially digitized as Traveling Culture: Circuit Chautauqua in the Twentieth Century, is the Redpath Chautauqua Collection.

Our thanks to bookseller Garrett Scott for the description used above.